1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a new releasing mechanism of the pluggable transceiver from the cage.
2. Related Prior Art
The pluggable optical transceiver (hereinafter denoted as transceiver) is installed on the host system such that a cage, which is made of metal and has a box shape with one end being opened and protruded from the face panel of the host system, receives the transceiver in the open end thereof to expose the optical receptacle provided in the front end of the transceiver from the face panel of the host system. The optical receptacle receives an optical connector accompanied with an optical fiber. Thus, the optical fiber may optically couple with an optical device installed within the transceiver and establish the optical communication between the fiber and the optical device.
The cage provides an electrical connector in the deep end thereof, while the transceiver provides, in a rear end thereof, an electrical plug to mate with the electrical connector in the cage. By inserting the transceiver into the cage, the electrical plug of the transceiver comes to mate with the electrical connector, which enables the transceiver to communicate with the host system, namely, exchanging the electrical information and supplying the electrical power from the host system to the transceiver. Moreover, by setting the electrode of the plug in a preset configuration, the transceiver can be optionally inserted into or removed from the cage as the host system is powered on, which is the so-called hot-pluggable function.
One type of such pluggable transceiver has been specified in a multi-source agreement (MSA) as “Small Form-Factor Pluggable (SFP) Transceiver Multi Source Agreement” published through the internet <http://www.shelto.com/SFP/SFP MSA.pdf>. However, this MSA merely specifies the fundamental electrical specification, the pin-assigning, and the physical dimensions, rules no substantial architecture. The MSA only ensures that, as long as the transceiver satisfies the agreement, the transceiver can be installed within the cage and show the fundamental performance. Recently, the optical communication may be available in personal, namely, the optical fiber is brought to the independent home, and an optical transceiver that satisfies the agreement with the cost thereof further reduced has been requested.
The U.S. Pat. No. 6,744,963, has disclosed one type of engaging mechanism with a bail and an actuator of the pluggable transceiver. Rotating the bail, which has a U-shaped configuration to put the optical receptacle between two legs thereof, around the center formed in a middle of the legs, the actuator may slide backward working together with the bail's rotation. The actuator has a tapered surface in the rear end thereof. The tapered surface slips under the latch tab of the cage by the sliding of the actuator to push up the latch tab, accordingly, the transceiver may be released from the cage.
Another U.S. Pat. No. 6,439,918, has disclosed another configuration of the releasing mechanism that also comprises of the bail and the actuator. The actuator in this prior art is attached, in the center portion thereof, to the body of the transceiver. The actuator may move in a seesaw motion by the attached portion as the center of the motion. Rotating the bail, the bail pushes out the forward arm of the actuator, which pulls in the rear arm of the actuator by the seesaw motion thereof. Since the rear arm forms a projection in the tip thereof to be engaged with the cage, the transceiver may be released from the cage.
Still another U.S. Pat. No. 6,430,053, has disclosed a releasing mechanism comprised of a bail and a base. The bail has a shaft working together with the rotation of the bail. In the end of this shaft is provided with a projection having a tapered surface. The shaft slides backward as rotating the bail to slip under the latching tab of the cage to push up the tab. Accordingly, the engagement between the transceiver and the cage may be released. The releasing mechanism of this prior art is so similar to those described in the U.S. Pat. No. 6,744,963.
Recently, an optical hub system has been proposed and developed in part, in which a plurality of cages is densely arranged in vertical and horizontal. In such system, the gap to the nearest cage becomes only a few millimeters. When the pluggable transceiver is inserter into or removed from such densely arranged cages, the grip of the bail cab no be occasionally handled. In one example, when cages neighbor to the target transceiver receive other pluggable transceivers with an optical connecter and an optical cable accompanied with the optical connector, these optical cables and connectors disturb to handle the grip of the target transceiver.
To release the target transceiver is necessary to release neighbor transceivers, or to use some special tools to bring out the target transceiver from the cage, which makes it troublesome and occasionally breaks the transceiver, or the optical connector. Moreover, for the transceiver with the bail to release from the cage by rotating in the front of the receptacle, the neighbor transceivers, or the neighbor connectors with the cable disturbs even to touch the bail.